CONTENTS:- Preface; Evaluating interests; Evaluating aptitudes; Evaluating personal-social adjustment; Evaluating attitudes and values; Evaluating thinking and problem-solving; Evaluating health and physical development; Evaluating socio-economic status; evaluating school and teaching practices; Basic statistical concepts; Organizing records; Marking and reporting student progress; Talking with parents and students; Planning the year realistically;
DESCRIPTION
In many schools there is widespread dissatisfaction with the currently-used grading and reporting methods. This dissatisfaction is experienced by both students and faculty. The students often feel that they have been misjudged. The teachers say, ""I like teaching but I hate to make out those report cards. The main trouble is that I'm never quite sure if I have been fair or accurate in marking. There are so many things to make into consideration." An undercurrent of dissatisfaction about grading and reporting was felt in central elementary school. Mr. Harris, the curriculum director, was seeking a good method for bringing to sharp focus the need for an improved reporting system in the school. He wished the faculty to become sufficiently aroused to work actively together in developing a better system. It was in Dr. William Wrinkle's excellent little book, improving marking and reporting practices, that he discovered the method which would draw the teacher's attention to the problem. In his book Dr. Wrinkle describes an experiment by E.C. Bolmeier in which Mr. Bolmeier demonstrated some of the fallacies of conventional marking systems. The experimenter had a group of P.T.A. officers mark a number of children according to fairly detailed descriptions of the children's behaviour in school. Mr. Bolmeier found that the P.T.A. officers, like teachers, differed rather markedly among themselves on exactly what letter-grade a student deserved.
